What's Happening to Public Higher Education - Research Paper Example

Survey Research and Reflective essay Introduction In an attempt to determine the effects of a cut in the house budget on students’ opportunities, an email survey was conducted. An open ended questionnaire with 10 items, requiring qualitative responses was prepared and emailed to 15 student respondents. This method of survey was preferred since it is economical and relatively very fast compared to other conventional methods of survey. The items selected for the survey sought to determine among other things financing of education by college students, the utility of education to students, the cost of education, factors that influence college choice, factors that contribute to college dropouts and students opinions on the effects of cuts in the state budget to education. The survey was conducted on 11th October, 2012 by a student researcher. Q & A response 1. How old are you? -Most of the respondents who participated in this survey were adults between the ages of 18-25years enrolled in a four year program academic college. 2. What is your level of study? -Many of the respondents surveyed were in their third year of study (60%), while a significant 24% were in their third year of study with the remaining proportion covering freshmen students and second year students. 3. What is the cost of college education expenses? -The email response from the questionnaires indicated that the average cost of education, including tuition, room and board added up to $16,000 at least for all public state colleges while that of private colleges added up to $37,000 4. How do you finance your college education? -Nearly 10 out of the 15 students interviewed responded relying on loans to assist them with college financing costs. Equally, a third of the respondents relied on part time jobs to help cater for college costs, that was often complemented by parent’s support with 11 out of 15 getting regular support from their parents. A similar number also relies on college scholarship and financial aid to clear their college bills. -It therefore implied that many of the college students – 83%- required more than a single source of income to finance their education and to keep them in college. 5. From your sources of finance, do you always have enough to spend in college? -13 out 15 of all the participants interviewed reported being always concerned about having enough financial resources to utilize while still in college in providing for daily expenditures. Economizing was reported as a tradition employed for the college years, occasioned by tough economic times in the real world. 6. In your personal opinion, why do most students drop out of college? -In the age bracket of 18-25 sampled for this survey, many of the participants, 76% cited difficulties associated with money as the driving force for college drop out. Other issues as bad grades and peer influence also emerged as strong reasons for college drop out. 7. How do you feel about borrowing to finance your education? -Many of the college students surveyed reported feeling uncomfortable with borrowing to finance their education. This they say becomes unbearable as they are unable to pay the money borrowed within the appropriate period and as such loans accrue to longer periods of time attracting higher fines and interest rates that accrue. 8. Within the realities of hard economic times, is your college education justified? -Despite high costs associated with college education, high rates of unemployment, a confident 89% reported that college years are worth their investment and time. In high numbers, the participants expressed confidence with the type of education provided and their expectations for the future. With 14 out of 15 respondents suggesting to find a job after college, it becomes apparent that college education is treated as a commodity for satisfying and meeting one’s needs and expenses rather than acquiring knowledge and building on creative thinking. -Most therefore hope to get a job immediately they finish college but unaware while also quite sure that there exists high unemployment rate in the job market. 9. State ONE factor that affects your choice of college? -An overwhelming 90% responded that the cost of financing education directed their choice of college. “For some time I felt my chances of finding the right college within my financial abilities would never come.” Said Amanda Veronica, 21, law student. -Like 63% of college students surveyed, Amanda reported that it was worthwhile for an individual to be patient in choosing the right college so that one gets an equivalent of their aspirations from the education and that their value for money can be justified. -Another 32% suggested not having thought of that while deciding the right course to undertake. -A significant proportion also indicated transferring from one college to the next if one does not get exactly what they are looking for in school, with others pointing out that they added another major on top of their current educational career just to widen their job search and the possibility of finding jobs immediately after college. While most of the students were guided by financial implications in choosing the right college, they also suggested -87% - of wanting to finish college earlier than the four year designated program so that they may save on finances and take get into the job market fast enough. 10. How will cuts in the state house budget affect your education? -The participants targeted for this survey expressed mixed reactions to the state house’s cutting on budget and its implications on student education. 13 out of 15 respondents agreed that the effect directly affected their college graduation as more schools are shut down due to lack of finances to keep them running, more schools are raising tuition forcing many students out of the classrooms, classes are becoming overwhelmingly crowded with few facilities denying students opportunities for quality education, cancellation of extracurricular activities for students as well as undermining research carried out by institutions. “I am really worried” said Bowen when he heard that his financial aid towards his government scholarship had been slashed by a third, “How will I meet my future needs? I am somehow stuck in my life, will I ever graduate in time? Asserted the 24year old, third year nursing student. Reflective Essay from the Research Whether we agree to it or not, issues of financing for public education is a twin issue requiring both social and political attention. State budget cuts refer to the lowering of the spending rates of a state. It is the act of a state cutting down her expenditure on certain services formerly provided to her citizens at a subsidized cost or at no cost at all. For example, when a state cut down her expenditure on the provision of free elementary education for her children either partially to share the burden with parents or completely withdrawing this service from the state budget. To a large extent however, budget cutting is rather a trivial politically determined factor since it is the political class in any state that is concerned with the state’s budgetary allocations. At the same time, budget cuts bear far reaching social implications especially in determining the level of accessibility for certain important necessities, such as the acquisition of post secondary education among different social classes. On a personal perspective and point of view, I strongly feel that budget cuts have biased implications of a nation’s social development agenda. The cuts tend to limit the ability of the poor and the low income earning families to acquire college education especially when it places a bigger chunk of the burden on the poor parents. It however has minimal impact on the high income earning households who still are able to cover the financial increments for their children in colleges and universities Equally important, budget cuts on education funding by the state government have had serious negative impacts on certain groups of people in my community. The effects of this have seen some students, especially, those from lower income earning families’ drop out of school or defer their studies. This is as a result of their incapability to raise funds for the highly increased college fees. (Flores, Horn and Crisp) Consequently, it has often reduced the overall school completion rates among college and university students. To some, however, the cuts have had less profound effects on them as they are still able to afford the highly increased rates. The high income earning families in my community fall in this category and are the least affected by the funding cuts. There is therefore progressive disparity among students attending public colleges and those in private colleges. Within the realities of hard economic times and balancing in provision of social services to the public, solutions to cuts in education funding require an examination of a multiplicity of issues. These solutions are threefold and involve college productivity and performance oriented funding. Productivity and performance oriented funding strategy tends to link state fund allocations for public institutions with the respective institutional productivity and performance at the state level thus shifting the funding demand from the level of state inputs in education to the performance of the respective campus, this also helps in re-aligning the financial provision from the institutional requirements to state priorities. (Priest and St.John) As Ehrenberg reports, the other approach to solving this problem involves initiating a program to identify students with special needs in all public colleges and universities. This includes those who might be placed on the brink of college dropout or the college deferment due to the budgetary cuts on post secondary education funding and providing them with state grants. The approach will enable the needy students to complete their studies at the same time with those from able backgrounds. (Ehrenberg) Similarly, I also believe that a political problem requires a political solution. Dealing with socioeconomic, racial and ethnic inequalities associated with access to higher education needs proactive efforts by states in addressing all the issues associated with under-represented and under-educated among minorities in the state. Legislators have an obligation to examine the opportunities and threats in skill building and job creation for the future students. And budget cuts put these programs at great jeopardy. The issues presented above are executed on a contracted effort between the state government and other non- governmental organizations. These financial bodies in conjunction with the respective colleges identify needy students from these institutions and generate funds to support these students in funding their education. This has helped in reducing college dropouts among the needy students thereby raising the school completion rates among students in all public institutions. Reference Ehrenberg, Ronald G. Whats Happening to Public Higher Education?: The Shifting Financial Burden. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. Flores, S. M., C. L. Horn and G. Crisp. "Community colleges, public policy, and Latino student opportunity." New Directions for Community Colleges 133 (2006): 71-80. Priest, Douglas M. and Edward P. St.John. Privatization And Public Universities. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006. Read More